Bal de Bourdon: meet the band
Evrah
Evrah formed Bal de Bourdon in 2014 with friends Jeremy and Martin, having discovered that they too were enthusiasts of the French language and French music. She was previously a member of Celtic vocal group Rún, when she started collecting French and Cornish repertoire. She also performed Eastern European and Balkan traditional music for many years as lead vocalist with the mighty London Gypsy Orchestra from 2005-2013. Prior to this, she explored British folksong as part of vocal trio Wayward Grace and other ensembles, and free improvisation as part of dance and live art projects. Fuller details are at www.evrah.org.uk.
Jeremy Halliwell
Jeremy first learned acoustic guitar at age 12 and went on to study classical guitar and renaissance lute. He played Jacques Brel songs on accordion with his older brother and was a member of a classical guitar orchestra led by Tom Kerstens. In recent years, in addition to Bal de Bourdon, Jeremy has pursued an interest in Eastern European, Romani and Greek folk music in bands including Tatcho Drom, Magic Violin Trio, the London Gypsy Orchestra, the Magic Tombolinos, Delicatessen, Trans Siberian March Band and DJAM.
Martina Schwarz
Martina is a singing accordionist with a busy performance schedule, performing both solo and in a variety of musical formations. She creates music for dance, theatre, puppetry, and film, and appears on stages large and small, including community and health settings. She joined Bal de Bourdon several years ago, sharing the band’s love for the rich French-Celtic repertoire. Having lived and worked in Paris for many years, she has a deep connection to the French language and musical tradition. Martina also tours the Channel Islands regularly.
Website: www.martinaschwarz.net
Karen Yarnell
Karen is a percussionist specialising in Klezmer and Balkan music. She performs with numerous ensembles including ShunTa, Hop Skotshne and the Klezjammers, and has been in Bal de Bourdon since it began. She started out as a drummer in the 1980s with post-punk bands The Gymslips (with whom she appeared on the John Peel Sessions 5 times), The Renees, and Serious Drinking. Her instruments include poyk, frame drum, tapan - and spoons!
Martin
Martin is a founder member of the band; while not currently performing, he was instrumental in developing our repertoire, part of which he sourced, researched and arranged. He is a musician and linguist with a special interest in traditional ballads, song migration and songs in endangered languages such as those of the Channel Islands. He has previously lived in France and on the island of Jersey.